Controlling device for hydraulic elevators.



j, E. BOYCE.

CONROLLING DEVICE FOR HYDRAULIC ELEVATORS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 13, 19H.

2 SHEETS-SHED x.

@WWE 3513 @JH/@fm1 Q13' J. E. EOYCE.

CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR HYDRAULIC ELEVATORSl APPLICATION man SEPT. 13. 191 1. t n

Llal, k Patenteept. MN5.

2 SHEETS-SHEET W mi.

mllluumu w n E by? Q5 72 www@ @L UNITED s'rafres PATENT anion.

JOHN E. lIBYIlEl, F NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR T0 OTIS ELEVATOR COMPANY,`OF

JERSEY CITY, NEVI JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

,CONTROLLING DEVICE EOlt HYDRAULIC ELEVATORS.

amener.

Tocll whom it may concern Be it known that I, JonN E.' Boron, a citizen of the United States, residing in New York, in the county ot New AYork and s State of' New York, have invented a new and useful improvement in (lontrolling De- Vices for Hydraulic Elevators, of which the following is a speciication.

' My invention relates to means for con- 1o trolling the starting and stopping of elevators or other hoisting apparatus, and'is particularly adapted to the control ofiv automatically operatedl hydraulic elevators.

This application involves subject matter also disclosed in my co-pending application 'Serial No 560,474, filed May' 1 0, 1910, for

improvements in master machines for controlling hydraulic elevators.

In automatically operated hydraulic ele-4 vators it is customary to employ a floor controller or selective device geared to the elevator car or other moving part oi the hoist ing machineryl 'which operates in unison with the car, and to provide in conjunction 12,5 with the loor controller an electric push button system, whereby, whenever a push button in 4thecar or at any of the licor landings is operated, the valve which controls the flow of fluid to and from the hoist- .3o ingcylinder will be automatically operated at a predetermined point in the travel of the car, morder tobring the car torest at the corresponding door landing. ln this operation itis necessary to commence the move :nent of the valve before the car'reaches the -loorlanding at which it is desired to stop. The". distance, however, through which the car travels. in being brought to rest, when .the yalveis operated at a given speed, varies 40 with'l the load and speed of the car, so that 'with thev controllingapparatus "usually employed it is impossible to lering the car uni- -:torlnly to rest at the desired floor landing with the varying conditions of load and .speed of the car found in actual practice.

Specification of Letters Patent.

.application and september 1a, 1911. serial No. 649,150.

at the commencement of operation of the valve. This object vl attain by providing means for operating the valve at a speed proportional to that of the car.

@ther objects of the invention, and the exact nature thereof, will appear hereinafter.

ln the accompanying drawings, which illustrate a construction embodying the present invention, Figure l is a diagrammatic illustration of a plunger hydraulic elevator system showing 'the electrical circuits; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the valve operating device; Fig. 3 shows in part section a modication of vthe cable clamping device shown in Fig. 1

vWhile the invention is herein shown as f applied to an automatic push button plunger elevator having a direct current system of electrical circuits, the same is'equally well adapted to elevators other than plunger elevators and for use with a'system of electrical circuits employing alternating current.

Referring to the drawings, in which likev admits water to, or exhausts water from, the

'plunger cylinder B.

l) and E designate the supply and exhaust wipes respectively, while Il; is the to-andtrein pipe connecting the valve to the plunger cylinder. A valve stem J passes through a stuling box 44 at the top of the valve and is provided with rack teeth which mesh with a gear l connected to a sheave H. A counter-weight 45 is connected through the cables d6 to the top of the car and serves to'counterbalance a portion of the come bined Weight of the car and plunger. 'In order to cause the car to ascend the sheave H is rotated in a clockwise direction so as to move the valve stein downwardly and thereby allowing water underpressure to pass from the pipe P through the valve V andinto the cylinder B and thus effect an upward movement of the plunger and connected ear. A reverse movement et 'the shcave H Will connect the plunger cylinder with the exhaust pipe E .vhereupon the preponderance o1" weight of the car and plunger over the counterweight ivill :torce the valve out of the cylinder and permit .the car to descend. An intermediate position ot the valve clues all connnunication with the cylinder and the car remains stationary, the plunger resting on the confined column et Water in the cylinder.

F designates a iloor controller which connected to operate in synchronism with the elevator car.- This connection comprises a running cable L one end oi ".vhich is secured to the top et the car and passes up over a pair of direction pulleys 40 secured to the overhead beams T from whence it leads down and around a guide pulley elO and a sheave Ll1 carried on the floor controller, from here the cable leads over a pulley 40 and is finally secured to the bottom ot' the car. The slieave il on the floor controller is connected through a train of reducinggearing to the shaft 42 upon which are mounted a number of arms 43 which are adapted to open and 'close certain electric circuits to effect the stopping of the car, at any predetermined loor landing.

et? designatesv a cable drum about which are Wound a pair of cables X and O. The cable X is arranged to operate the sheave H of the valve While the cable O is a standing cable and leads up over a guide sheave R located at the top of the hatchway. Both of these cables are secured to the drum in a Well known way so that there can be no slipping thereon. rllhe drum Y is arranged to be driven by a small electric motor M through a train of gearing` 41.8 (see Fig'. 2). rlhe drum and gear train are carried upon a pair of standards 51, 5l, while the motor is secured to a sub-base 49, all of which are mounted upon a substantial bed plate 50.

A magnetic clutch device i is carried upon the car and is adapted tocoperate with the cable This clutch device com prises a lever 52 pivoted at and adapted to engage and grip the cable U, the tace of the lever being provided with teeth adjacent thereto. A toothed plate 57 lies on the other side of the cable in close proximity thereto and is carried upon the frame Work of the clutch device A. The lever 52is normally pressed against the cable 'by means of a compression spring 58 which acts through a Y rod 59 which v carries a head G G hearing against, the lever 52. The lower end of this lever is provided with a slot 56 adapted to receive a pin carried upon the end of a rod which is secured to the magnet core of a magnet 54. lt is readily seen .that ,the spring 58 will tend to clamp the cable hetiveen the, teeth of the lever 59. and plae 5'?, ,and any'rnovement-of the car when the able is thus gripped will produce a corresponding movement ot the cable. The magnet :il adapted to release the clutch device trom the cable and it operates when energized by an electric current to pull the rod in a left hand direction, thereby rocking the lever ibout its pivot 53 and permit ting the car to travel in either direction vvithout imparting any motion to the cabley (i). Since the latter is connected to the drum 4T it follows that any movement ot the cable will eil'ect a movement of the valve V through the cable X and thus the movement of the car may be used to move the valve tc closed position. rlhe motor M furnishes an additional means for operating the valve since the same ivill drive the drum in a predetermined direction to c'l'lect a movement ot the valve to start the car either upor down.

l will now describe the electrical appa ratus shown in Fig. l and then point out the operation of the system as a whole.

U and D designate, respectively. the up and down starting and reversing` switches vvhich control the operation ot the motor M to el'ect the movement oi the valve. These switches each comprises a solenoid magnet .vindinp' adapted when energized to raise a core and connected contact disk l2 so as to bridge a number Ot lined contacts such Vas 9, l0, ll, the disk normally bridgingr the fixed contacts 13 and lil, whenever the solenoid is denergized. rlhe floor controller F comprises a number of iXed contacts such as 20, 2l, 23, etc., arranged in pairs, each pair being provided with a bridging contact such as 22, the latter arranged lto be moved into and out ot electrical engagement with their corresponding contacts such 20, 2l, by the operation of the elevator car.

l, 2 and designate the iloor relays therey being in every instance the same number ot these relays as there are iioors, which in the present case is three.

7 is the safety car magnet the opcratiun of which insures that after a push button in the car h'as been operated and the car has arrived at the designated floor landing, the landing door must be irst opened and then closed before the car rcan be started away from the landing. The double wound magnet and G is for the purpose of preventing interference between the push buttons.

a, and c designate the licor landing buttons,.and c', Z2 and c designate the car buttons, While 29, 30 and 3l are the door contacts associated vwith each Hoor landing door. the object of these contac s being` to insure that all of the doors are in closed position before the car can be operated.

S designates the field Winding of the motor lV, Whilerl and 19 resistances connectcd in series and parallel, respectively, vwith the motor armature so as to regulate the power of the motor. The supply of current to the system is designate( `through the door contacts 3l, E@

manner by the positive and -land. vrespectiyely, I

The operation of the system is by pressing one oi? the push butter following out rthe circuits, and ont this idea We `will assume lint-ton c at the top floor is pas. being at restl at the second 17.14 A circuit may new he traced 'Ero A1 ,.y thence by wire 2 through the magvet ings 5 and Wliicn latter lof/them mound in opposition to each otherq th f the contacts si. and hy the vire to .ne push button c. This button the circuitcontinnes by the agire the. Winding or" the floor relay 1floor controller contacts 2Q 22 a. through the Winding of 'the reversi U to the main.. The ener i relay 3 will canse the Contact C nieve np into electrical engagement the n" core to which one terminal of the magno the relay is Lgrounded and this operation i; establish a self holding' circuit around th vindineT 6, contacts @and the push atten o., o and c. The current in the Windi now reduced to a very small amount to the parallel circuit closed around it the relay 3 hence the magnet 5 is enablerV i, A overcome' the magnet F con@ o open tants i thereby open crenitinej the cour" Wire 32 ofthe Ydoor buttons and rendering these buttons dead or inoperative. The ein ergization of the et' the rewersinfgt yswitch U causes the Contact dist; l? to bridge the contacts '3, l0 and il and thereby est-alsn lish a circuit to ythe motor This circuit may be traced as follows: from the main tothe contact 9 and l., resistance 18 armatnrehrnsh 16 to brush l?, contM 13" contact disk l5 and Contact ff f latter connected to the main eid the inotor is connected across contact 10pt the reversing sWitN tor will now start and the dro.

to cause the car toascend. 1 ticed that the resistance 1.8 is ries with the motor armature, sistance, 19' is connected across brushes, therefore the nieto* moderate speed and powen these r being oit such an amount li power and speed of the motor to sired degree. `She' magnet Winding the ,clutch device .fr is enerrf rently with that ot the motor, it neeted in parallel with the motor iienl l Y, 'i across the line. therefore-the cable leasedsand becomes free to more as iKlis rotated hy the motor. pair tacts 38 associated with the clutch devi are 'erranmed to he opened by inni t` e clutch, the object of these contacts be ingr to insert a resistance 39 into the circuit et the magnet winding' 85 after the latter has done its work so as to economize eurwat.Y The elevator car will now more up irardly at full speefh the main valvebeing moved to its 'fullestextent and the motor while still receiving' current being at rest. its the car approaches the designated stopping place which in the present instance is at the top floor corresponding to the push lr, c, the floor controller Will operate to nieve the Contact plate out of engagement with the contactsQO and 21, thereby open circaitinlsr the segnet windings of the tlocr relay and the reversingy switch U. The .feet oit this will he to dene'rgize the i,f zingf switch and permit the contact disl; i2 to open the niotor circuit, and at the saine timel Vto denergiae the clutch magnet 35, -iicr I clutch to grip the standing cable As the ear continues to move upwardly, the cable O mores along' with it at the same rate' of speed, and the latter causes the drum 47 tolSiether with the motor M to be rotated backward, thereby eiiecting 'the Closing of the nain yxfilve to stop the cari the valve in every instance being closed at a speed proportional to that of the ear. The valve beine la c* nietiines leaks and permits Water to into the plunger cylinder after the valve closed, and causes the car to creep upward, or the Water may leak out through the valve and thus permit the car to settle. Now sifiee the valve is operatively connected to the car any movement ot' the latter will canse a corresi'ionding movement of. the taire in one direction. or the other to admit water trein the cylinder and thereby compensate for any leakage that occur. w operation of the-device with a de# car is .sini ar to that already dethe rever switch Blliowever be" ergined in is case7 the floor corr intomaticaliY opening the opert ting at ythe proper time to permit the ye 'the main valve to car at infie predetermined Hoor lt il 's tern he operated from .1 i r outtons. To illustrate, We will assume 'heycar' to be at rest at the second floor ding as shownrin 'i and the button c the car to he operated. As before, the recit 1nay be traced from the -linan through the door contacts 3l, 3Qa and 29, magnet Winding 5 winding oiI reimi 7, Wire t 'v erin IYhe button o and by wire y allowing; the springY 5S to operate theje i .xrcuit ditte/rs somewhat 'it established by pushing .one of the lighten the duty of the motor as Y .L v. f2...l 1. cable, the object heini@ .to ione lic ia iiirovided witlisinootl contacts 2O and 91. reversin"switch U, anl to the main. lie contacts el: immediately open so as to prevent any inter c troni the i'ioor landing buttons and the relay draws the conta t 8 against its core to ivhicii one teriiiinal ciE the WindingA olf the relay is grounded. rlhis operation closes a selit'lioliling :ii-cuit including the door contacts, winding` 5, Winding;7 of relay il and resistance 27, this circuit being` across the line. lt will. be seen that the floor controller does not interfere with this circuit upon stopping the car by opening the operating ci* uit at the contacts 2O and 2 and this e holding circuit will ieinaiii closed until landing door has been opened to intere i'uptit at the door Contact, and not until aiter this has been done can the c r be operated from the licor buttons.

lllhile I have shown and described the valve :is being loperated direct-ly through its valve stein, it isto be understood that when the Water pressure is high or the valve is of considerable capacity it inay he desirable to i employ the Well known pilot valve mechanism for eilecting the movement ci" the inaiii valve. ln that case .the cable X would be connected to inove the pilot valve through any suitable inechanisin. lllliere no pilot valve is used it is preferable to have the main valve of the balanced type so as to much as possible l ig. 3 shows in part section a iiiodiiied forni otclutch device A which comprises a `traine 'i7 surroui'iding a solenoid AA core 78 is connected to a rod 59 which is adapted to operate afpaii; ci' pivoted gripping members 52', 52', through the pin G8 and slots 6'?. rlie spring 58 is carried upon or surrounds ther-od 59 and bears against a collar 70 and nut 7l, the latter being' for the purpose or" regulating the tension oi' the spring. l2 is an iron plug through which the rod 59 freely passes and is for the purpose et enabling the solenoid to exert a powerful pull 'while using a magnet oi" inoderate sizee yThe cable lies between the toothed n'i'ipping 52, 52 'toothed plate the Alatter being` preferably inade of tempered steel ani. arranged'so as to be easily detached or reL laced. sliding nieinber 63 extending through a hole in the lug (Sel is adapted to bear against the cable, the end or" this member in contact with the cable being son'iewhat enlarged a ad provided with smooth aiiti-triction tace so af reduce s i the able fr spi gently urge'` niernber agar away troni the toothed plate when ping members are swung; out oli gi." ping engagement by trie ener-i inangnet. ie of the @ripping ni i enlarged-O against 'which the cable bears when the magnet is energized, the aiiti-friction inenihers G3. and Gil preventing the cable 'from sliding against the clutcliteetli and thereby wean out. lt desired the ineiibers G3 and GG could be provided with anti-friction rollers further to reduce any ivcar on the cable. V feature of this modified clutch device is the use'of tivo clutch members 5l,'52. By this construction it is seen that when the magnet is deifnergizcd and the spring 5S pulls the clutch members against the cable C the latter is positively gripped and cannot slip., no matter in which direction the car' may be traveling, since the greater the pull on the cable the tighter it will be gripped by reason oiI the wedging action of the ineinbers due to their forni and the location of'Y their pivot points. Obviously the cables O and X could be replaced by sprocket chains, it being merely necessary to adapt the sheaves lai and R and the drum 4:7 to accommodate the chains instead ot' cables as shown.

llfhile l have shown the motor as being' energized even after the valve has reached its iniit of movement, this is not a inatter of inportance since the inotor is of small ioiver ai: tensiones but little current. if desired, however5 contacts could be arranged to coact `with the valve stein so as to interrupt the motor circuit after the valve has been moved to wide open position, but since this is merely one of inany requirements which anyone skilled in the art could readily perceive, l have not considered necessary to show it.

vflihat l claini is new and desire to have protected by Letters Patent of the United States is l. ln an elevator, the combination. of a having` au operating" connection with the valve for effecting the closing el said valve? and automatically controlled inechanisin for controllingv the operation ot' sain. valve opening and closing ineans. l

ln a 'hydraulic elevator, the coiiibiiiation oi" a plunger and connected car, a plunf i' cylindre". a` valve controlling the moveiil plunger, an electric iiiotor for said valve to open position, a anfing cable operatively connected to said valvm a inagi'iiet controlled elli on the cai for ellecting an engagement with. said stand ina" cabi-ef, and automatically controlled elecai apparatus 'lor all ftiiigg; the olicratioii oi said ii'iotor and clutch.

Il. lu an automatic electric control s vsteni igor push button hydraulic elevators, the combination ol3 a change valve, an electric :noter iior moving; said valve to open posivalv@ :5m moving ne latter to cosez pnsame i; zns .fi accaten in the prese-nce si non, means @armed on the for agagmg two subscmbmg Wltnesses. and dlsengagmg sa'ld cable, and :1 selecve L n T VH 'devlce controlled by the, mavemant of le J9EE L E@ LUL' 5 car for e''ectmg "che @peratlon 0f sind Inc-mr f/Emmi and smdcabe engagmg means.. T

. /ENSTMTE: iin testimony whew-0f, have signed my /vmmvi J. EENML 

